SHILLONG, July 4: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday sought the support of Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal for the ‘Unity Mall’ project.
Sangma submitted a letter to Goyal highlighting the Meghalaya government’s ambitious plan to implement key programmes such as One District One Product (ODOP) and building a start-up ecosystem.
He also stressed on the importance of the Unity Mall project, which aligns with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to foster national integration, support the “Make in India” concept and facilitate the implementation of the ODOP idea.
“The project holds immense significance for Meghalaya as it aligns with our goal of promoting local regional products, developing tourism, and generating economic prosperity,” Sangma said while adding that the detailed project report for this project has already been submitted to the Ministry on June 30. He further highlighted that the proposed Unity Mall will be strategically located in New Shillong Township (NST), alongside the new administrative city, business district, and regional tourism and hospitality hub. An investment of Rs 3,000 crore is proposed for the overall development of NST.
The Unity Mall project is being implemented by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry under the Part-VI of the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2023-24.
Sangma said funds for the NST projects are being mobilised through an externally-aided project and the state is exploring all possible opportunities for getting additional support.
“The government has already acquired about 1,700 acres of land for building NST and institutes like the IIM Shillong and NIFT are already functioning there. A land parcel of around 17 acres has been allocated for the Unity Mall and it is conceptualised to be a key investment in NST,” he said.
“To achieve our ambitious vision of building this iconic Unity Mall, Meghalaya would need higher level of funding support from the Ministry. The estimated cost of the project as per the DPR is Rs 431 crore and the allocation to the state is Rs 132 crore. Given our high level of project readiness and the acute need for building an iconic Unity Mall in a tourism hub like Shillong, I urge you to substantially increase our allocation so that the state can implement this unique project,” he appealed.
Earlier in the day, Sangma had an interaction with Chairman & Managing Director of NTPC Limited, Gurdeep Singh.
Sangma appreciated the ideas and initiatives being taken up by NTPC to enhance the overall power scenario in the country.
In addition, he also had deliberation with members of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at Gurugram.
Terming their presentation as insightful, Sangma said the case studies demonstrated by ISA will enable Meghalaya to adopt the best practices under the CM’s Solar Mission.
